He also pointed to a "bombshell" letter a year ago from the
director of emergency services at Maroondah Hospital, Dr Peter
Archer, to the Minister for Health, Bronwyn Pike, saying that 13
patients had died soon after discharge in the previous 13
months.

A distraught Ms Brand said she sympathised with staff trying to
cope in the mental health system without adequate support.

She said her son, who had been in Monash's psychiatric ward for
psychosis associated with drug addiction, had been turned out
before Easter 2003, into the "inappropriate" care of a woman who
had been visiting him.

Ms Brand said she was notified of his release by phone and there
had been no opportunity to confirm any of the three supported
accommodation places she had arranged for her son.

"The meeting that we were meant to have, and were told we would
have, before he was released never happened," Ms Brand said. "He
was ready to be discharged, but not ready enough to be
independent." She also said her son told her "the dealers had got
to him" in hospital and he resumed a heroin habit.

She said his GP, Dr Michael Aufgang, had not been contacted
about the discharge, and not been told Lee had been taken off
bupromorphin, the drug substitute he had been using.

In a memento book she has prepared, there are copies of letters
from Dr Aufgang to the medical director of Monash Medical
Centre.

On March 8, 2003, he wrote: "Yet again, this patient has been
discharged from Monash Psychiatric Centre without any liaison with
myself."

And 10 days later, on March 18, he wrote: "I have just been
informed that the above patient died five days ago of an apparent
overdose. I suggest that communication in the mental health system
needs to be addressed."

Acting Health Minister Gavin Jennings said: "Our heart goes out
to any family that has experienced a loss. Any loss is a tragedy.
It's not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases, but we
do take a message that we need to make sure there's sufficient
investment in mental health services."

He said there had been an increase in mental health funding over
the life of the Bracks Government. But Mr Davis said Government
figures showed $41 million too little had been budgeted in the past
two years.